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A review by nyquillll
The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Hopeless romantic here - this book did it for me.
I did think the pacing of the story was a bit slow at times, but I think that was meant to be for this slow-burn, and I’m apparently into those kinds of stories now. In hindsight, when you consider the whole story happens within maybe a couple weeks, it’s probably not so slow.
What can I say about this book. At times I was frustrated with the FMC for how much her inner dialogue and doubts controlled her actions, but then I quickly empathized because isn’t that what we all do? I appreciated the author’s handling of this passionate, soul-consuming, pure kind of love which selflessly offered each other to one another. And, of course, as the reader, we can tell from the beginning how enraptured Aaron is with Catalina. :)
This book touched on self esteem, sexism in the workplace (working in a male-dominated profession), international romance, past trauma, power and gender dynamics in relationships, fake-dating, the things you do for the people you love, strained relationships with parents, loss of parental figures, the presence or absence of extended family, and the strength and courage it takes to trust in love and let it flow in.
I adore the love between the two MCs, even if it took them a while to admit it to one another :)
I did think the pacing of the story was a bit slow at times, but I think that was meant to be for this slow-burn, and I’m apparently into those kinds of stories now. In hindsight, when you consider the whole story happens within maybe a couple weeks, it’s probably not so slow.
What can I say about this book. At times I was frustrated with the FMC for how much her inner dialogue and doubts controlled her actions, but then I quickly empathized because isn’t that what we all do? I appreciated the author’s handling of this passionate, soul-consuming, pure kind of love which selflessly offered each other to one another. And, of course, as the reader, we can tell from the beginning how enraptured Aaron is with Catalina. :)
This book touched on self esteem, sexism in the workplace (working in a male-dominated profession), international romance, past trauma, power and gender dynamics in relationships, fake-dating, the things you do for the people you love, strained relationships with parents, loss of parental figures, the presence or absence of extended family, and the strength and courage it takes to trust in love and let it flow in.
I adore the love between the two MCs, even if it took them a while to admit it to one another :)
Content Warnings
Minor: Grief, Death of parent, and Cancer
Some of my favorite quotes:
”We are ignoring him though. You don’t need to spare his feelings, he doesn’t have any.”
"They probably thought they were not taking any side, but they were. Their silence was doing exactly that."
"Be there in an hour. best, Aaron." "What in the f-"
"What if I still want to tell you about it?"
"What's so surprising, Catalina? I pay attention when you talk. Even when you mumble to yourself."
"If you think I'm not elated to see you eat, then you don't understand how serious I was yesterday."
"Thank you, boyfriend."
"There you are."
"This was a historical moment."
"No sleeping, baby. Please."
"You'll already know that I am."
"And for a while there, it wasn't like that. All that lightness faded out, and seeing my daughter going through something like that wasn't easy...But that's in the past. She's here now, and she's okay. Happy."
"Anything that bothers you matters to me, and I want to hear about it...Nothing about you is boring or doesn't interest me-ever. Understand?"
"I'll earn my four-letter word."
"It doesn't have to be a dream you need to wake up from."
"When there's a rock on the way and you fall, I tumble down with you. We fight our way up together."
"We protect and heal each other. That's how this is supposed to be."
"Half of them wanted to file the complaint themselves..."
"...as long as I had him, my life-altering moment would never be a measurement of time....He was my moment. And for as long as I had him, my life would constantly be changing, be altered. I'd be challenged, cherished, loved. With him, I'd live."
"I'm here. I'm here. I'm running toward you. I trust you. I love you..."
"I would have come back for you, you know? I told you I wouldn't let you quit on us. You still owed me that four-letter word."
"But I finally got it. I understood how hard it'd hit him, losing Mom. How lost he must have been at the reality of not having a way to get her back."
"Your Thea,"